Methods, Systems, and Computer-Readable Media for Disease Management

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for disease management. According to embodiments, a method for providing social interaction between a first handheld medical testing and monitoring device and a second handheld medical testing and monitoring device is provided. According to the method, at least one of a social networking profile and a diagnostic profile is received from the first handheld medical testing and monitoring device. A second user associated with the second handheld medical testing and monitoring device is selected based on the at least one of the social networking profile and the diagnostic profile. A user list at the first handheld medical testing and monitoring device is populated with a unique identifier enabling communication between a first user associated with the first handheld medical testing and monitoring device and the second user associated with the second handheld medical testing and monitoring device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 11/778,695entitled “Methods, Systems, and Computer-Readable Media for DiseaseManagement,” filed Jul. 17, 2007, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Ser. No. 60/881,081, filed on Jan. 18, 2007, each of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to the field of medical devices. Morespecifically, the disclosure provided herein relates to the field ofmedical devices for disease management.

BACKGROUND

Active disease management generally requires a constant exchange ofinformation between a patient, the patient's family, a caregiver, and ahealth-care professional (e.g., a physician). The health-careprofessional may seek regular diagnostic information regarding one ormore conditions. The patient, the patient's family, and/or the caregivermay seek feedback associated with any changes in the diagnosticinformation. Acquiring regular diagnostic information, however,generally presents a significant challenge, especially for a health-careprofessional. For example, the patient may not be able to visit thehealth-care professional at adequate intervals due to time and/or costconstraints. A handheld medical testing and monitoring device mayprovide a cost-effective means with which to ensure constantcommunication between the patient and the health-care professional. Anexemplary handheld medical testing and monitoring device is ONETOUCH,which is manufactured by JOHNSON AND JOHNSON.

The handheld medical testing and monitoring device may be configured toacquire diagnostic data related to a given condition at a giveninterval. For example, a diabetes-related monitoring device, such asONETOUCH, may test the blood glucose level of a patient by collectingblood via a lancet prick and testing the collected blood. After thehandheld medical testing and monitoring device acquires the bloodglucose level of the patient, the handheld medical testing andmonitoring device may transmit the blood glucose level over a network toa remote computer where the data is analyzed by, for example, the remotecomputer and/or a health-care professional. Based on patient's bloodglucose level, the health-care professional may provide feedback, suchas updated care information, to the patient, the patient's family,and/or the caregiver. Therefore, with the handheld medical testing andmonitoring device, the health-care professional may remotely gatherregular diagnostic information from the patient. With the regulardiagnostic information, the health-care professional may timely providethe patient, the patient's family, and/or the caregiver potentiallylife-saving feedback in response to changes in the patient's diagnosticinformation.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure presented herein include methods, systems,and computer-readable media for disease management. According to a firstaspect, a method for providing social interaction between a firsthandheld medical testing and monitoring device and a second handheldmedical testing and monitoring device is provided. According to themethod, at least one of a social networking profile and a diagnosticprofile is received from the first handheld medical testing andmonitoring device. A second user associated with the second handheldmedical testing and monitoring device is selected based on the at leastone of the social networking profile and the diagnostic profile. A userlist at the first handheld medical testing and monitoring device ispopulated with a unique identifier enabling communication between afirst user associated with the first handheld medical testing andmonitoring device and the second user associated with the secondhandheld medical testing and monitoring device.

According to a second aspect, a system for providing social interactionbetween a first handheld medical testing and monitoring device and asecond handheld medical testing and monitoring device is provided. Thesystem includes a memory and a processor functionally coupled to thememory. The memory stores a program containing code for providing socialinteraction between a first handheld medical testing and monitoringdevice and a second handheld medical testing and monitoring device. Theprocessor is responsive to computer-executable instructions contained inthe program and is operative to receive at least one of a socialnetworking profile and a diagnostic profile from the first handheldmedical testing and monitoring device, determine a second userassociated with the second handheld medical testing and monitoringdevice based on the at least one of the social networking profile andthe diagnostic profile, and populate a user list at the first handheldmedical testing and monitoring device with a unique identifier enablingcommunication between a first user associated with the first handheldmedical testing and monitoring device and the second user associatedwith the second handheld medical testing and monitoring device.

According to a third aspect, a computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform amethod for providing social interaction between a first handheld medicaltesting and monitoring device and a second handheld medical testing andmonitoring device is provided. According to the method, at least one ofa social networking profile and a diagnostic profile is received fromthe first handheld medical testing and monitoring device. A second userassociated with the second handheld medical testing and monitoringdevice is determined based on the at least one of the social networkingprofile and the diagnostic profile. A user list at the first handheldmedical testing and monitoring device is populated with a uniqueidentifier enabling communication between a first user associated withthe first handheld medical testing and monitoring device and the seconduser associated with the second handheld medical testing and monitoringdevice.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according toembodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponreview of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or computerprogram products be included within this description, be within thescope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanyingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a glucose monitoring system, inaccordance with exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a handheld glucose monitor, inaccordance with exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an advertising system includingthe handheld glucose monitor 102, in accordance with exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for receiving targetedadvertising at a handheld glucose monitor, in accordance with exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a claims tracking systemincluding the handheld glucose monitor 102, in accordance with exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for generating cost datarelated to a diagnostic profile of a user, in accordance with exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a social networking systemincluding a first handheld glucose monitor and a second handheld glucosemonitor, in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing socialinteraction between the first handheld glucose monitor and the secondhandheld glucose monitor, in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to methods, systems, andcomputer-readable media for disease management. In the followingdetailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawingsthat form a part hereof, and which are shown by way of illustrationspecific embodiments or examples.

For the sake of simplicity and without limitation, an invasive bloodglucose monitor is illustrated in exemplary embodiments describedherein. However, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the described embodiments may be applicable for noninvasiveblood glucose monitors, other suitable blood analyte monitors, and othersuitable invasive and noninvasive medical testing and monitoringdevices. Examples of other blood analyte monitors include, but are notlimited to, monitors for testing cholesterol, triglycerides, and uricacid. Examples of other medical testing and monitoring devices include,but are not limited to, devices for testing and monitoring bloodpressure, electrocardiogram (“ECG” or “EKG”) activity, and heart rate.

Referring now to the drawings, it is to be understood that like numeralsrepresent like elements through the several figures, and that not allcomponents and/or steps described and illustrated with reference to thefigures are required for all embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagramillustrating a glucose monitoring system 100, in accordance withexemplary embodiments. The glucose monitoring system 100 includes ahandheld glucose monitor 102, which is described in greater detailbelow. The handheld glucose monitor 102 is coupled to a glucosemonitoring unit 104 via a network 106. According to exemplaryembodiments, the handheld glucose monitor 102 is configured to collect ablood sample from a user 108 through, for example, a lancing device (notshown) on the handheld glucose monitor 102. After the blood sample iscollected, the handheld glucose monitor 102 may process the collectedblood sample to obtain a blood glucose level, which may then betransmitted to the glucose monitoring unit 104. According to exemplaryembodiments, the glucose monitoring unit 104 is a computing deviceconfigured to receive blood glucose levels of the user 108 from thehandheld glucose monitor 102 over the network 106. Communicationsbetween the handheld glucose monitor 102 and the glucose monitoring unit104 may be encrypted to prevent an eavesdropper from accessing privatemedical information transmitted between the handheld glucose monitor 102and the glucose monitoring unit 104.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the handheld glucose monitor 102 includes anetwork adapter 110, an advertising module 112, a claims tracking module114, and a social networking module 116. The network adapter 110 enablesthe handheld glucose monitor 102 to communicate with the glucosemonitoring unit 104 over the network 106. Examples of the networkadapter 110 may include, but are not limited to, a modem, a radiofrequency (“RF”) or infrared (“IR”) transceiver, a telephonic interface,a bridge, a router, or a network card. The network 106 may include awireless network such as, but not limited to, a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (“WLAN”) such as a WI-FI network, a Wireless Wide Area Network(“WWAN”), a Wireless Personal Area Network (“WPAN”) such as BLUETOOTH, aWireless Metropolitan Area Network (“WMAN”) such a WiMAX network, or acellular network. Alternatively, the network 106 may be a wired networksuch as, but not limited to, a Wide Area Network (“WAN”) such as theInternet, a Local Area Network (“LAN”) such as the Ethernet, a wiredPersonal Area Network (“PAN”), or a wired Metropolitan Area Network(“MAN”). It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe glucose monitoring unit 104 may also include a network adapter, suchas the network adapter 110.

According to exemplary embodiments, the advertising module 112, which isdescribed in greater detail with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4, enables thehandheld glucose monitor 102 to receive targeted advertising, such astargeted advertising 308. In one embodiment, the targeted advertising308 is displayed via a display (not shown) on the handheld glucosemonitor 102. The targeted advertising 308 may be targeted based on anadvertising profile, such as an advertising profile 302, of the user108. The advertising profile 302 may include any suitable criteria ofthe user 108 including, but not limited to, the user's age, location,and health condition. In one embodiment, the user's location may bedetermined using a positioning device (not shown), such as a globalpositioning system (“GPS”) device, in the handheld glucose monitor 102.The targeted advertising 308 may provide a means by which the handheldglucose monitor 102 is subsidized, thereby making the handheld glucosemonitor 102 more affordable for more users.

According to exemplary embodiments, the claims tracking module 114,which is described in greater detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5,enables the user 108 to track cost savings and/or increases in responseto the improving or declining health condition of the user 108. In oneembodiment, after the handheld glucose monitor 102 determines the bloodglucose level of the user 108, the claims tracking module 114 maydetermine that the health condition of the user 108 has improved over agiven period of time. In response to the health condition of the user108 improving, the claims tracking module 114 may display real and/orpotential cost data, such as cost data 506, to the user 108 via thehandheld glucose monitor 102. In one embodiment, the cost data 506 isdisplayed via a display (not shown) on the handheld glucose monitor 102.The cost data 506 may include, but is not limited to, decreases invisits with the health-care professional, decreases in drug usagerelated to regulating blood glucose levels, and decreases in overallinsurance costs related to the improving health condition of the user108. In further embodiments, the claims tracking module 114 may be aidedby diagnostic data provided by the glucose monitoring unit 104 over thenetwork 106. For example, the glucose monitoring unit 104 may track theblood glucose levels of the user 108 over a period of time to determinewhether the health condition of the user 108 has improved.

According to exemplary embodiments, the social networking module 116,which is described in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 7 and8, enables the user 108 to find targeted “buddies” (also known as“peers,” “contacts,” “friends,” and the like) from a social network ofbuddies including the user 108. Each buddy may be associated with ascreen name or other unique identification (“ID”). A plurality of screennames may populate a buddy list with which the user 108 can use tocommunicate with buddies within the social network. In one embodiment,the social networking module 116 automatically finds at least one buddybased on a social networking profile, such as social networking profiles702 a and 702 b, of the user 108. The social networking profiles 702 aand 702 b may include any suitable social criteria of the user 108including, but not limited to, the user's age, location, and healthcondition. For example, the social networking module 116 mayautomatically find at least one buddy who is approximately the user'sage, is within a given distance of the user's location, and shares atleast one of the user's health conditions. In one embodiment, the user'slocation may be determined using a positioning device (not shown), suchas a global positioning system (“GPS”) device, in the handheld glucosemonitor 102. The social networking module 116 may enable the exchange ofmedical information, such as information related to living withdiabetes, and non-medical information, such information related to thenewest blockbuster movie.

It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that twoor more of the advertising module 112, the claims tracking module 114,and the social networking module 116 may be utilized in conjunction toprovide additional capabilities to the user 108, in accordance withexemplary embodiments. In one example, the same profile containinginformation related to the user 108, such as the user's age, location,and health condition, may be used by the advertising module 112 forproviding targeted advertising and by the social networking module 116for finding targeted buddies. In another example, targeted advertisingprovided by the advertising module 112 to the user 108 may be providedto other users on the buddy list of the user 108. In yet anotherexample, cost savings data provided to the user 108 via the claimstracking module 114 may be shared with other users utilizing the socialnetworking module 116. Other implementations utilizing two or more ofthe advertising module 112, the claims tracking module 114, and thesocial networking module 116 will become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art in view of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief,general description of a suitable computing environment in whichembodiments of the handheld glucose monitor 102 may be implemented.While embodiments will be described in the general context of programmodules that execute in conjunction with an application program thatruns on an operating system on a computer system, those skilled in theart will recognize that the embodiments may also be implemented incombination with other program modules.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced with othercomputer system configurations, including hand-held devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Theembodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the handheld glucose monitor 102,in accordance with exemplary embodiments. The handheld glucose monitor102 includes a processing unit 202, a memory 204, an input interfaceadapter 206, an output interface adapter 208, and the network adapter110, each of which is operatively connected to a system bus 210. The bus210 enables bi-directional communication between the processing unit202, the memory 204, the input interface adapter 206, the outputinterface adapter 208, and the network adapter 110. In furtherembodiments, the handheld glucose monitor 102 may be embodied within orcoupled to any suitable portable computing devices including, but notlimited to, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, cellularphones, and mobile media players configured to output audio, video, andother multimedia.

The processing unit 202 may be a standard central processor thatperforms arithmetic and logical operations, a more specific purposeprogrammable logic controller (“PLC”), a programmable gate array, orother type of processor known to those skilled in the art and suitablefor controlling the operation of the server computer. Processing unitsare well-known in the art, and therefore not described in further detailherein.

The memory 204 communicates with the processing unit 202 via the systembus 210. In one embodiment, the memory 204 is operatively connected to amemory controller (not shown) that enables communication with theprocessing unit 202 via the system bus 210. The memory 204 includes theadvertising module 112, the claims tracking module 114, and the socialnetworking module 116 of FIG. 1. The advertising module 112 is describedin greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4. The claimstracking module 114 is described in greater detail below with respect toFIGS. 5 and 6. The social networking module 116 is described in greaterdetail below with respect to FIGS. 7 and 8. In exemplary embodiments,one or more of the advertising module 112, the claims tracking module114, and the social networking module 116 are embodied incomputer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed bythe processing unit 202, perform a method as described in greater detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 4, 6, and 8, respectively. According tofurther embodiments, the advertising module 112, the claims trackingmodule 114, and the social networking module 116 may be embodied inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media maycomprise computer storage media and communication media. Computerstorage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but isnot limited to, RAM, ROM, Erasable Programmable ROM (“EPROM”),Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (“EEPROM”), flash memory or othersolid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”),or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store the desired information and which can beaccessed by the handheld glucose monitor 102.

The input interface adapter 206 receives data input from the user 108.The data may be input via any suitable input device, such as a keyboardor a stylus. The input devise may also be a medical testing device, suchas a lancing device for collecting blood. The output interface adapter208 outputs data to the user 108. The data may be output via anysuitable output device, such as a display and a speaker. The input andoutput devices may be embodied within a single unit, such as atouch-screen display. The input and output devices may be embodiedwithin or coupled to the handheld glucose monitor 102.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of anadvertising system 300 including the handheld glucose monitor 102. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the handheld glucose monitor 102 includes theadvertising module 112 described in FIGS. 1 and 2. The advertisingmodule 112 includes the advertising profile 302 and a diagnostic profile304 of the user 108. The advertising system 300 includes an advertisingsupply module 306. The handheld glucose monitor 102 is coupled to theadvertising supply module 306 via the network 106. In one embodiment,the advertising supply module 306 is embodied within the glucosemonitoring unit 104. In further embodiments, the advertising supplymodule 306 is separate from the glucose monitoring unit 104.

The advertising profile 302 may include any suitable advertising-relatedinformation about the user 108, such as the user's age, location, andhealth condition. The diagnostic profile 304 includes any suitablediagnostic data, such as the user's current and archived blood glucoselevels, collected from the user 108 by the handheld glucose monitor 102,according to one embodiment. The archived blood glucose levels mayinclude blood glucose levels collected within any suitable time frames.

In one embodiment, the advertising module 112 transmits the advertisingprofile 302 and the diagnostic profile 304 to the advertising supplymodule 306 over the network 106. In response to receiving theadvertising profile 302 and the diagnostic profile 304, the advertisingsupply module 306 determines which advertisements to transmit to theuser 108 based on the advertising profile 302 and the diagnostic profile304. These selected advertisements are referred to herein as thetargeted advertising 308. According to exemplary embodiments, theadvertising supply module 306 transmits the targeted advertising 308 tothe handheld glucose monitor 102 via the network 106. In one embodiment,the targeted advertising 308 is stored in the memory 204. The targetedadvertising 308 may be output to the user 108 using any suitable outputdevice, such as a display or a speaker, embodied within or coupled tothe handheld glucose monitor 102.

In one embodiment, advertisers and/or marketers may configure one ormore parameters associated with the advertising supply module 306. Forexample, the advertising supply module 306 may include parametersspecifying which content in the advertising profile 302 and thediagnostic profile 304 that would trigger the advertising supply module306 to transmit the targeted advertising 308 to the user 108 via thehandheld glucose monitor 102. In one embodiment, the user may alsoconfigure one or more of the parameters. For example, the user mayconfigure parameters to refuse advertising.

In one embodiment, the targeted advertising 308 is automaticallyprovided to the user 108 via the handheld glucose monitor 102 withoutintervention from the user 108. Examples of the targeted advertising 308include, but are not limited to, condition-related medical products,condition-related clothing, condition-related foods, and miscellaneouspersonal care items. For a diabetic, for example, the condition-relatedmedical products may include glucose test strips and insulin, and thecondition-related foods may include sugar-free and low-carbohydratefoods.

By automatically providing the targeted advertising 308 to the user 108,the handheld glucose monitor 102 may be financially supported by thoseadvertisers and/or marketers providing the targeted advertising 308. Forexample, the advertisings and/or marketers may pay advertising fees forthe advertising supply module 306 to transmit the targeted advertising308 to the handheld glucose monitor 102. Those advertising fees may beused to subsidize the cost of the handheld glucose monitor 102.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 400 for receivingtargeted advertising 308 at the handheld glucose monitor, in accordancewith exemplary embodiments. According to the method 400, the advertisingmodule 112 transmits (at 402) the advertising profile 302 and thediagnostic profile 304 to the advertising supply module 306. Theadvertising profile 302 may include any suitable advertising-relatedinformation about the user 108, such as the user's age, location, andhealth condition. The diagnostic profile 304 may include any suitablediagnostic data related to the user 108, such as the user's current andarchived blood glucose levels, gathered by the handheld glucose monitor102, according to one embodiment. The transmission of the advertisingprofile 302 and the diagnostic profile 304 may be initiated by the user108 or automatically transmitted at given times or in response to givenactions of the user 108.

According to exemplary embodiments, the advertising supply module 306determines the targeted advertising 308 to transmit to the handheldglucose monitor 102 based on the advertising profile 302 and thediagnostic profile 304. In one example, the targeted advertising 308 mayinclude businesses at or near the location of the user 108 provided inthe advertising profile 302. In another example, the targetedadvertising 308 may include medical products related to the diagnosticinformation provided in the diagnostic profile 304. The advertisingmodule 112 receives (at 404) the targeted advertising 308 from theadvertising supply module 306. The advertising module 112 outputs (at406) the targeted advertising 308 to the user 108 via any suitableoutput device, such as a display or a speaker, embodied within orcoupled to the handheld glucose monitor 102.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of aclaims tracking system 500 including the handheld glucose monitor 102.The handheld glucose monitor 102 includes the claims tracking module 114described in FIGS. 1 and 2. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the claimstracking module 114 includes a claims tracking profile 502 and thediagnostic profile 304. The claims tracking system 500 includes a costdata supply module 504. The handheld glucose monitor 102 is coupled tothe cost data supply module 504 via the network 106. In one embodiment,the cost data supply module 504 is embodied within the glucosemonitoring unit 104. In further embodiments, the cost data supply module504 is separate from the glucose monitoring unit 104.

The claims tracking profile 502 may include any suitable claims trackinginformation about the user 108, such as the cost of office visits, thecost of medications, and other health-related costs. The health-relatedcosts may be based on a current fee schedule or historic data based onwhat the user 108 paid in the past. The health-related costs may furtherbe based on insurance-related costs, such as premiums, deductibles, andother out-of-pocket expenses. In one embodiment, the claims trackingprofile 502 may include information regarding the insurance coverage(e.g., the name of the provider and the type of coverage) of the user108. As previously described, the diagnostic profile 304 may include anysuitable diagnostic data related to the user 108, such as the user'scurrent and archived blood glucose levels, gathered by the handheldglucose monitor 102, according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, the claims tracking module 114 transmits the claimstracking profile 502 and the diagnostic profile 304 to the cost datasupply module 504 over the network 106. In response to receiving theclaims tracking profile 502 and the diagnostic profile 304, the costdata supply module 504 determines the cost data 506 related to the user108 based on the claims tracking profile 502 and the diagnostic profile304 of the user 108. In one example, an improvement in the blood glucoselevel of the user 108 as shown in the diagnostic profile 304 may yield adecrease in the amount of drugs utilized by the user 108. Thus,depending on the information provided in the claims tracking profile502, the decrease in the amount of drugs utilized by the user 108 mayalso yield a cost savings to the user 108. In another example, aworsening in the blood glucose level of the user 108 as shown in thediagnostic profile 304 may yield an increase in the amount of drugsutilized by the user 108. Thus, depending on the information provided inthe claims tracking profile 502, the increase in the amount of drugsutilized by the user 108 may yield a cost increase to the user 108.According to exemplary embodiments, the cost savings and increasedetermined based on the claims tracking profile 502 and the diagnosticprofile 304 are reflected in the cost data 506.

In one embodiment, the cost data supply module 504 transmits the costdata 506 to the handheld glucose monitor 102 via the network 106. In oneembodiment, the cost data 506 is stored in the memory 204. The memory204 may store the cost data 506 for any suitable time period. The costdata 506 may be output to the user 108 using any suitable output device,such as a display or a speaker, embodied within or coupled to thehandheld glucose monitor 102. The cost data 506 output to the user 108may include current cost data as well as historic cost data. Byconcurrently displaying the cost data 506 over an extended time period,the user 108 can easily view and compare fluctuations in health-relatedcosts over the time period. The cost data 506 may be displayed in anysuitable multimedia format, including, but not limited to, video,pictures, graphics, sound, and text.

The cost data 506 may include direct cost savings/increases and indirectcost savings/increases. Exemplary direct cost savings/increases mayinclude, but are not limited to, a reduction or increase of emergencyroom (“ER”) visits, a reduction or increase in medical supplies, and areduction or increase in treatment and medication costs. Exemplaryindirect cost savings/increases may include, but are not limited to,reduction or increase in missed time at work and a reduction or increasein disability costs. In one embodiment, the cost data 506 is determinedbased on a single user, such as the user 108. In further embodiments,the cost data 506 is aggregated based on a plurality of users. The costdata 506 may be output along with national averages of data related tothe cost data 506 to provide a comparison between the cost data 506 andthe national averages.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 600 for generating costdata, such as the cost data 506, related to the diagnostic profile 304of the user 108, in accordance with exemplary embodiments. A handheldmedical testing and monitoring device, such as the handheld glucosemonitor 102, collects (at 602) diagnostic data related to the user 108.In one embodiment, the collected diagnostic data is stored within thediagnostic profile 304. The handheld glucose monitor 102 may collect,for example, the current blood glucose level of the user 108. In oneembodiment, the user 108 utilizes a lancing device (not shown) on thehandheld glucose monitor 102 to draw blood for blood glucose testing.The claims tracking module 114 transmits (at 604) via the network 106the claims tracking profile 502 and the diagnostic profile 304 to thecost data supply module 504.

In response to receiving the claims tracking profile 502 and thediagnostic profile 304, the cost data supply module 504 determines thecost data 506 related to the user 108 based on the claims trackingprofile 502 and the diagnostic profile 304 of the user 108. Thediagnostic profile 304 may indicate the health condition of the user.The claims tracking profile 502 may provide claims tracking information(e.g., the cost of office visits, the cost of medications, and otherhealth-related costs). The cost data 506 may indicate, for example, acost savings or a cost increase, based on the claims tracking profile502 and the diagnostic profile 304. The claims tracking module 114receives (at 606) the cost data 506 from the cost data supply module504. The claims tracking module 114 outputs (at 608) the cost data 506to the user 108 using any suitable output device, such as a display or aspeaker, embodied within or coupled to the handheld glucose monitor 102.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of asocial networking system 700 including a first handheld glucose monitor102 a and a second handheld glucose monitor 102 b. As illustrated inFIG. 7, the first handheld glucose monitor 102 a includes a first socialnetworking module 116 a, and the second handheld glucose monitor 102 bincludes a second social networking module 116 b. The social networkingsystem 700 further includes a social management module 704. The handheldglucose monitors 102 a and 102 b are coupled to the social managementmodule 704 via the network 106. In one embodiment, the social managementmodule 704 is embodied within the glucose monitoring unit 104. Infurther embodiments, the social management module 704 is separate fromthe glucose monitoring unit 104.

According to exemplary embodiments, the first social networking module116 a includes the first social networking profile 702 a and a firstdiagnostic profile 304 a. The first social networking profile 702 a andthe first diagnostic profile 304 a are associated with a first user 108a. The second social networking module 116 b includes the second socialnetworking profile 702 b and a second diagnostic profile 304 b. Thesecond social networking profile 702 b and the second diagnostic profile304 b are associated with a second user 108 b. The social networkingprofiles 702 a and 702 b may include medical information, such asinsulin dosages of the users 108 a and 108 b, respectively, andnon-medical information, such as hobbies of the users 108 a and 108 b,respectively. In one embodiment, the social networking profiles 702 aand 702 b may include similar information provided in the advertisingprofile 302 and the claims tracking profile 502, such as the users'ages, locations, health conditions, and health care costs. The firstdiagnostic profile 304 a includes diagnostic data about the first user108 a collected by the first handheld glucose monitor 102 a. The seconddiagnostic profile 304 b includes diagnostic data about the second user108 b collected by the second handheld glucose monitor 102 b. An exampleof diagnostic data collected by the handheld glucose monitors 102 a and102 b includes the current blood glucose levels of the users 108 a and108 b, respectively.

According to exemplary embodiments, the social management module 704coordinates communications between a plurality of users, such as theusers 108 a and 108 b, over the network 106. For example, the socialmanagement module 704 may coordinate communications between the firstuser 108 a and the second user 108 b via the first handheld glucosemonitor 102 a and the second handheld glucose monitor 102 b,respectively. Exemplary communications may include, but are not limitedto, text messages, electronic mail (“email”), photos, audio messages,and video messages. By incorporating a social networking component intothe handheld glucose monitors 102 a and 102 b, the users 108 a and 108 bmay enjoy a richer experience than simply testing their blood glucoselevels.

In one embodiment, the first user 108 a is identified by a first buddyname or other unique identifier (“ID”), and the second user 108 b isidentified by a second buddy name or other unique ID. The use of buddynames may enable the users 108 a and 108 b to communicate with eachother anonymously. For example, if the first user 108 a desires to senda communication to the second user 108 b, the social networking system700 may be configured such that the first user 108 a sends thecommunication to the second user 108 using only the second buddy name.That is, the second buddy name may hide personal information of thesecond user 108 b, such as the user's name, address, and phone number.

In one embodiment, when a user, such as the first user 108 a, desires toparticipate in the social networking system 700, the first user 108 aregisters with the social management module 704. In one embodiment, theprocess for registering the first user 108 a includes choosing a buddyname and transmitting the first social networking profile 702 a and thefirst diagnostic profile 304 a to the social management module 704. Infurther embodiments, the first user 108 a may establish a new profilewith the social management module 704 during the registration process ordecide to send one or the other of the first social networking profile702 a and the first diagnostic profile 304 a. In one embodiment, thesocial management module 704 searches for one or more other users on thenetwork 106 based on the first social networking profile 702 a. Thesocial management module 704 may search under any suitable criteriaincluding, but not limited to, a similar medical condition, a similarlocation, and/or similar hobbies. In one embodiment, the socialmanagement module 704 searches the other users dynamically. For example,the social management module 704 may dynamically retrieve the secondsocial networking profile 702 b and the second diagnostic profile 304 bfrom the second handheld glucose monitor 102 b to compare with the firstsocial networking profile 702 a and the first diagnostic profile 304 a.In further embodiments, the social management module 704 searches adatabase containing data of the other users. For example, the databasemay be previously populated with the second social networking profile702 b and the second diagnostic profile 304 b, so that a comparison maybe made with the first social networking profile 702 a and the firstdiagnostic profile 304 a without dynamically retrieving the secondsocial networking profile 702 b and the second diagnostic profile 304 b.

When the social management module 704 finds one or more users, such asthe second user 108 b, with similar criteria to the first user 108 a,the social management module 704 populates a buddy list associated withthe first user 108 a with the buddy name of the second user 108 b. Tofacilitate a more active social network, the social management module704 may automatically populate the buddy list associated with the firstuser 108 a with at least one user, such as the second user 108 b.

If, for example, the second user 108 b matches the first user 108 aunder the criteria utilized by the social management module 704, thenthe social management module 704 may populate buddy lists on the firsthandheld glucose monitor 102 a and the second handheld glucose monitor102 b. The buddy lists may be accessible through input and outputinterfaces, such as a stylus and a display, on the handheld glucosemonitors 102 a and 102 b. In one embodiment, each buddy name on thebuddy list is associated with a buddy profile, which is associated witha user, such as the users 108 a and 108 b. For example, the first user108 a may desire to share her location, medical condition, and the firstdiagnostic profile 304 a. If the first user 108 a is on the buddy listof the second user 108 b, then the second user 108 b may be able to viewthe buddy profile of the first user 108 a. In particular, the seconduser 108 b may be able to view the progress of the first user 108 a byaccessing the first diagnostic profile 304 a. If the first diagnosticprofile 304 a indicates that the health condition of the first user 108a has improved, then the second user 108 b may send a communication ofcongratulations to the first user 108 a. If, on the other hand, thefirst diagnostic profile 304 a indicates that the health condition ofthe first user 108 a has not improved or worsened, then the second user108 b may send a communication of encouragement to the first user 108 a.The communications sent between users, such as the users 108 a and 108b, may be manually entered or selected from a plurality of pre-definedcommunications. By enabling the sharing of the diagnostic profile 304between users, such as the users 108 a and 108 b, the social managementmodule 704 may create a collaborative wellness network promotingbehavioral modification.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 800 for providing socialinteraction between the first handheld glucose monitor 102 a and thesecond handheld glucose monitor 102 b, in accordance with exemplaryembodiments. According to the method 800, the social management module704 receives (at 802) the first social networking profile 702 a and thefirst diagnostic profile 304 a from the first handheld glucose monitor102 a. The social management module 704 selects (at 804) the second user108 b, who is associated with the second social networking profile 702 band the second diagnostic profile 304 b. In one embodiment, the seconduser 108 b may be selected because of similarities between the firstsocial networking profile 702 a and the second social networking profile702 b, as well as similarities between the first diagnostic profile 304a and the second diagnostic profile 304 b.

In one embodiment, the social management module 704 dynamicallyretrieves the second social networking profile 702 b and the seconddiagnostic profile 304 b from the second handheld glucose monitor 102 bto compare with the first social networking profile 702 a and the firstdiagnostic profile 304 a. In further embodiments, the first socialnetworking profile 702 a and the first diagnostic profile 304 a arecompared with a database that is previously populated with the secondsocial networking profile 702 b and the second diagnostic profile 304 b.

The social management module 704 determines (at 806) whether second user108 b has allowed the sharing of the second social networking profile702 b and/or the second diagnostic profile 304 b. In one embodiment, thesecond user 108 b may decide which portions, if any, of the secondsocial networking profile 702 b and the second diagnostic profile 304 bto share. For example, the second user 108 b may not want to sharecertain personal data.

If the second user 108 b has allowed sharing, the social managementmodule 704 populates (at 808) a user list (e.g., a buddy list) at thefirst handheld glucose monitor 102 a with a unique identifier (e.g.,buddy name), the second social networking profile 702 b, and the seconddiagnostic profile 304 b associated with the second user 108 b. If thesecond user 108 b has not allowed sharing, the social management module704 populates (at 810) the user list at the first handheld glucosemonitor 102 a with the unique identifier associated with the second user108 b, but without the second social networking profile 702 b and thesecond diagnostic profile 304 b. The unique identifier may enable thefirst user 108 a to communicate with the second user 108 b via the firsthandheld glucose monitor 102 a. In further embodiments, in response topopulating the user list at the first handheld glucose monitor 102 a ofthe first user 108 a, the social management module 704 populates a userlist at the second handheld glucose monitor 102 b of the second user 108b. For example, the user list at the second handheld glucose monitor 102b may be populated with a unique identifier associated with the firstuser 108 a, the first social networking profile 702 a, and/or the firstdiagnostic profile 304 a associated with the first user 108 a may bepopulated in a user list at the second handheld glucose monitor 102 bdepending on whether the first user 108 a has allowed or not allowedsharing.

Although the subject matter presented herein has been described inconjunction with one or more particular embodiments and implementations,it is to be understood that the embodiments defined in the appendedclaims are not necessarily limited to the specific structure,configuration, or functionality described herein. Rather, the specificstructure, configuration, and functionality are disclosed as exampleforms of implementing the claims.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges may be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theembodiments, which is set forth in the following claims.

1. A method for providing cost data to a handheld medical testing andmonitoring device, comprising: receiving, from the handheld medicaltesting and monitoring device over a network, diagnostic data for apatient collected by the handheld medical testing and monitoring device;receiving a claims tracking profile of health-related costs for thepatient; determining, by a computer, cost fluctuation data based on thediagnostic data and the claims tracking profile; and upon determiningthe cost fluctuation data based on the diagnostic data and the claimstracking profile, transmitting the cost fluctuation data to the handheldmedical testing and monitoring device over the network.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving the claims tracking profile of health-relatedcosts for the patient comprises receiving at least one of a cost ofoffice visits and a cost of medications.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein receiving the claims tracking profile of health-related costsfor the patient comprises receiving at least one of a current feeschedule that the patient pays for the health-related costs and historicdata for the health-related costs that the patient previously paid. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the claims tracking profile ofhealth-related costs for the patient comprises receiving at least one ofinsurance-related costs including premiums and deductibles, a name of aninsurance provider, and a type of insurance coverage provided by theinsurance provider to the patient.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the cost fluctuation data based on the diagnostic data andthe claims tracking profile comprises: determining whether thediagnostic data indicates an improved health-related condition of thepatient; responsive to determining that the diagnostic data indicatesthe improved health-related condition of the patient, determining costsavings data based on the claims tracking profile; determining whetherthe diagnostic data indicates a worsened health-related condition of thepatient; responsive to determining that the diagnostic data indicatesthe worsened health-related condition of the patient, determining costincrease data based on the claims tracking profile.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein determining the cost savings data based on the claimstracking profile comprises determining at least one of a reduction inemergency room visits, a reduction in medical supplies, a reduction intreatment and medication costs, an increase in missed time at work, anda reduction in disability costs; and wherein determining the increasedata based on the claims tracking profile comprises determining at leastone of an increase in emergency room visits, an increase in medicalsupplies, an increase in treatment and medication costs, a decrease inmissed time at work, and an increase in disability costs.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein transmitting the cost fluctuation data to thehandheld medical testing and monitoring device over the networkcomprises transmitting current cost data of the health-related costs forthe patient and historic cost data of the health-related costs for thepatient to the handheld medical testing and monitoring device.
 8. Asystem for providing cost data to a handheld medical testing andmonitoring device, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to theprocessor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:receiving, from the handheld medical testing and monitoring device overa network, diagnostic data for a patient collected by the handheldmedical testing and monitoring device; receiving a claims trackingprofile of health-related costs for the patient; determining costfluctuation data based on the diagnostic data and the claims trackingprofile; and upon determining the cost fluctuation data based on thediagnostic data and the claims tracking profile, transmitting the costfluctuation data to the handheld medical testing and monitoring deviceover the network
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving the claimstracking profile of health-related costs for the patient comprisesreceiving at least one of a cost of office visits and a cost ofmedications.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving the claimstracking profile of health-related costs for the patient comprisesreceiving at least one of a current fee schedule that the patient paysfor the health-related costs and historic data for the health-relatedcosts that the patient previously paid.
 11. The system of claim 8,wherein receiving the claims tracking profile of health-related costsfor the patient comprises receiving at least one of insurance-relatedcosts including premiums and deductibles, a name of an insuranceprovider, and a type of insurance coverage provided by the insuranceprovider to the patient.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein determiningthe cost fluctuation data based on the diagnostic data and the claimstracking profile comprises: determining whether the diagnostic dataindicates an improved health-related condition of the patient;responsive to determining that the diagnostic data indicates theimproved health-related condition of the patient, determining costsavings data based on the claims tracking profile; determining whetherthe diagnostic data indicates a worsened health-related condition of thepatient; responsive to determining that the diagnostic data indicatesthe worsened health-related condition of the patient, determining costincrease data based on the claims tracking profile.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein determining the cost savings data based on the claimstracking profile comprises determining at least one of a reduction inemergency room visits, a reduction in medical supplies, a reduction intreatment and medication costs, an increase in missed time at work, anda reduction in disability costs; and wherein determining the increasedata based on the claims tracking profile comprises determining at leastone of an increase in emergency room visits, an increase in medicalsupplies, an increase in treatment and medication costs, a decrease inmissed time at work, and an increase in disability costs.
 14. Acomputer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon forexecution by a processor to provide a method for providing cost data toa handheld medical testing and monitoring device, the method comprising:receiving, from the handheld medical testing and monitoring device overa network, diagnostic data for a patient collected by the handheldmedical testing and monitoring device; receiving a claims trackingprofile of health-related costs for the patient; determining costfluctuation data based on the diagnostic data and the claims trackingprofile; and upon determining the cost fluctuation data based on thediagnostic data and the claims tracking profile, transmitting the costfluctuation data to the handheld medical testing and monitoring deviceover the network.
 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,wherein receiving the claims tracking profile of health-related costsfor the patient comprises receiving at least one of a cost of officevisits and a cost of medications.
 16. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 14, wherein receiving the claims tracking profile ofhealth-related costs for the patient comprises receiving at least one ofa current fee schedule that the patient pays for the health-relatedcosts and historic data for the health-related costs that the patientpreviously paid.
 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,wherein receiving the claims tracking profile of health-related costsfor the patient comprises receiving at least one of insurance-relatedcosts including premiums and deductibles, a name of an insuranceprovider, and a type of insurance coverage provided by the insuranceprovider to the patient.
 18. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 14, wherein determining the cost fluctuation data based on thediagnostic data and the claims tracking profile comprises: determiningwhether the diagnostic data indicates an improved health-relatedcondition of the patient; responsive to determining that the diagnosticdata indicates the improved health-related condition of the patient,determining cost savings data based on the claims tracking profile;determining whether the diagnostic data indicates an worsenedhealth-related condition of the patient; responsive to determining thatthe diagnostic data indicates the worsened health-related condition ofthe patient, determining cost increase data based on the claims trackingprofile.
 19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, whereindetermining the cost savings data based on the claims tracking profilecomprises determining at least one of a reduction in emergency roomvisits, a reduction in medical supplies, a reduction in treatment andmedication costs, an increase in missed time at work, and a reduction indisability costs; and wherein determining the increase data based on theclaims tracking profile comprises determining at least one of anincrease in emergency room visits, an increase in medical supplies, anincrease in treatment and medication costs, a decrease in missed time atwork, and an increase in disability costs.
 20. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 14, wherein transmitting the cost fluctuationdata to the handheld medical testing and monitoring device over thenetwork comprises transmitting current cost data of the health-relatedcosts for the patient and historic cost data of the health-related costsfor the patient to the handheld medical testing and monitoring device.